I just had a REVELATION! Really...like just now!

[Pam G]

So, I've lost 100 lbs in a year. Yay. Go, Me.

And here's the "but": I still have habits. And not the good kind.

i just realized that when I'm binge watching something on Netflix, I eat stuff. Particularly, Enlightened frozen ice cream bars, which, in the grand scheme of things, would be considered a reasonable replacement for, say, a pint of Hagen Daaz.

But (another "but, there's always a "but"), I've been eating 2, sometimes 3, of them in one sitting!

Here's the "revelation" part: I realized that I need to REPLACE the stuff I mindlessly snack on with something else. Sounds so stupidly simple, doesn't it?

instead of fighting with myself to just not do it (and I always lose to myself, btw), I need to replace the offending food with something less damaging. I'm using coffee flavored with SF syrups and 1/2 n 1/2.

So common sense, but I honestly just realized it, just now! What a fool, I've been!

I had had to stop buying no sugar added candy, cause again....I have no control....and I'll stop buying these ice cream bars, too.

its fresh fruit season, too, and I started getting carried away with that too, so, no more fruit for me for a while, after I finish these strawberries.....


oh, and just a wee bit of TMI....the urine in my full morning bladder weighs 2 pounds. I've been curious about that, so I weighed before and after today. Cool.

[RehabNurse]

Your degree of self-awareness and honesty is refreshing, Pam.

By the way, have you tried the Torani sugar-free flavored syrups? I splash them in my coffee, tea, protein shakes, and anything that could use some sweetening.

For dessert, I sometimes make a homemade protein shake with Hood Chocolate Milk (5 grams of carbs), Torani syrup, PB2 powder, powdered nonfat milk, and a couple of sweetener packets. After being chilled in the fridge, it tastes lovely to me.

But yes, it is unfortunate that some of us will have a moderation meter that is forever broken. I know that, if a bowl of Reese's buttercups sat directly in front of me, I'd be grazing on them until no more were left.

[Pam G]

I just ordered 5 more bottles of SF syrups...I keep a couple at work, too. So far, my fav flavor is brown sugar cinnamon!

im trying a new brand called DaVinci Gourmrt, we'll see how it tastes.

Im getting Irish cream, toasted marshmallow, eggnog, and German choc cake flavors!

Your degree of self-awareness and honesty is refreshing, Pam.

By the way, have you tried the Torani sugar-free flavored syrups? I splash them in my coffee, tea, protein shakes, and anything that could use some sweetening.

For dessert, I sometimes make a homemade protein shake with Hood Chocolate Milk (5 grams of carbs), Torani syrup, PB2 powder, powdered nonfat milk, and a couple of sweetener packets. After being chilled in the fridge, it tastes lovely to me.

But yes, it is unfortunate that some of us will have a moderation meter that is forever broken. I know that, if a bowl of Reese's buttercups sat directly in front of me, I'd be grazing on them until no more were left.

[Donald G]

So, I've lost 100 lbs in a year. Yay. Go, Me.

And here's the "but": I still have habits. And not the good kind.

i just realized that when I'm binge watching something on Netflix, I eat stuff. Particularly, Enlightened frozen ice cream bars, which, in the grand scheme of things, would be considered a reasonable replacement for, say, a pint of Hagen Daaz.

But (another "but, there's always a "but"), I've been eating 2, sometimes 3, of them in one sitting!

Here's the "revelation" part: I realized that I need to REPLACE the stuff I mindlessly snack on with something else. Sounds so stupidly simple, doesn't it?

instead of fighting with myself to just not do it (and I always lose to myself, btw), I need to replace the offending food with something less damaging. I'm using coffee flavored with SF syrups and 1/2 n 1/2.

So common sense, but I honestly just realized it, just now! What a fool, I've been!

I had had to stop buying no sugar added candy, cause again....I have no control....and I'll stop buying these ice cream bars, too.

its fresh fruit season, too, and I started getting carried away with that too, so, no more fruit for me for a while, after I finish these strawberries.....


oh, and just a wee bit of TMI....the urine in my full morning bladder weighs 2 pounds. I've been curious about that, so I weighed before and after today. Cool.

Why ditch the fresh fruits? other then the natural sugar and carbs in them which are fairly low. Was just curious if there is something about fruits that I was unaware of?

[Pam G]

Fruit is sugar/carbs, and I have no control over sugar/carbs. I'm trying to stay LCHF, which means less than 20 gms carbs/day, but I haven't been able to do that consistently lately.

I tried to add things back into my diet, hoping I'd keep losing, but nope. I'll try adding those things back in once I hit maintenance.

Why ditch the fresh fruits? other then the natural sugar and carbs in them which are fairly low. Was just curious if there is something about fruits that I was unaware of?

[Shirl]

PamG,

I remember when you wouldn't even talk about sugar substitutes even less sugar-free syrups (though I do remember you giving a sf butterfinger protein/frap recipe once, I it was good!) also you had a hard time giving up your iced sweet-tea! You've come a long way baby!!!

One thing I am learning too is looking at overall nutrient benefits of whole foods vs substitutes. It may or may not work for every one but I am reaping the benefits thus far.

You are right fruit may have more sugar than you need, but if you go with a low glycemic fruit it might be better in the long run.

Here is side by side comparison of a pint of strawberries (or 2 cups sliced strawberries) vs one Enlightened Salted Caramel ( my fav! )

IMG_3052.JPG

One pint definitely has more sugar than one bar or half cup serving of an Enlightened ice cream, but considering that you are not eating one, but two and maybe three and those calories/sugars do add up. Also, a pint of strawberries will give you a healthy amount of Vit C and Potassium among other natural nutrients.

You are doing awesome! Keep up the amazing work!

[Christie13]

PamG,

I remember when you wouldn't even talk about sugar substitutes even less sugar-free syrups (though I do remember you giving a sf butterfinger protein/frap recipe once, I it was good!) also you had a hard time giving up your iced sweet-tea! You've come a long way baby!!!

One thing I am learning too is looking at overall nutrient benefits of whole foods vs substitutes. It may or may not work for every one but I am reaping the benefits thus far.

You are right fruit may have more sugar than you need, but if you go with a low glycemic fruit it might be better in the long run.

Here is side by side comparison of a pint of strawberries (or 2 cups sliced strawberries) vs one Enlightened Salted Caramel ( my fav! )

IMG_3052.JPG

One pint definitely has more sugar than one bar or half cup serving of an Enlightened ice cream, but considering that you are not eating one, but two and maybe three and those calories/sugars do add up. Also, a pint of strawberries will give you a healthy amount of Vit C and Potassium among other natural nutrients.

You are doing awesome! Keep up the amazing work!

Plus I would think the strawberries are more filling than the ice cream.

[Ann2]

Pam, you are so right! The learning never, ever stops -- BUT ONLY if we are willing to be aware of our behavior. Watching, noticing, observing, finding patterns is a choice we make. We choose to remain conscious or to go unconscious.

And then we choose to respond by changing. Or not changing.

We get from this process exactly what we choose.

[Lisa73me]

So, I've lost 100 lbs in a year. Yay. Go, Me.

And here's the "but": I still have habits. And not the good kind.

i just realized that when I'm binge watching something on Netflix, I eat stuff. Particularly, Enlightened frozen ice cream bars, which, in the grand scheme of things, would be considered a reasonable replacement for, say, a pint of Hagen Daaz.

But (another "but, there's always a "but"), I've been eating 2, sometimes 3, of them in one sitting!

Here's the "revelation" part: I realized that I need to REPLACE the stuff I mindlessly snack on with something else. Sounds so stupidly simple, doesn't it?

instead of fighting with myself to just not do it (and I always lose to myself, btw), I need to replace the offending food with something less damaging. I'm using coffee flavored with SF syrups and 1/2 n 1/2.

So common sense, but I honestly just realized it, just now! What a fool, I've been!

I had had to stop buying no sugar added candy, cause again....I have no control....and I'll stop buying these ice cream bars, too.

its fresh fruit season, too, and I started getting carried away with that too, so, no more fruit for me for a while, after I finish these strawberries.....


oh, and just a wee bit of TMI....the urine in my full morning bladder weighs 2 pounds. I've been curious about that, so I weighed before and after today. Cool.

Lol! It's not a TMI, I noticed if I weigh before bed I lose 2 pounds by morning also! I have been eating pork skins today, low carb, but still not good! I went to the doc this last week and had my blood work read, he said everything looks great. I am slightly anemic, but he's not worried about it. I have started taking an iron supplement with my multivitamin and pro-biotic since my blood was drawn, so my iron is probably higher now. Another reason I decided to enjoy some pork skins today is I have very low blood pressure and the doc said please enjoy all the salt you want. But, I will only allow myself those every once in awhile. I don't eat fruit right now, too much sugar. Once I get the weight off I'm going to experiment and see how many calories I can eat a day and maintain. Thanks for sharing your epiphany with us, I have those also!

[Lisa73me]

I just ordered 5 more bottles of SF syrups...I keep a couple at work, too. So far, my fav flavor is brown sugar cinnamon!

im trying a new brand called DaVinci Gourmrt, we'll see how it tastes.

Im getting Irish cream, toasted marshmallow, eggnog, and German choc cake flavors!

I love the DaVinci Gourmet! Very good!

[Melissa888]

Could not agree with you more! I can easily eat an entire pint of Halo Top at one sitting if I allow myself, and sometimes I have. Being mindful and aware of what and the amount we eat will always be part of our daily lives.

[Sandra3]

Congrats on your sleeversary and 100 pounds gone!!

It is a journey and we can only succeed if we find the right path and make adjustments all along. For sure it's working for you, and of course like for most of us it's a work in progress!

I do remember like Shirl that you talked about missing your sweet iced tea. I miss it too. Still today!

But I can't use any artificial sweeteners (I can get really sick) and even "natural" ones like stevia, monk fruit etc...don't do me any good. So I go without sweetener, or once in a while will have some agave. The less I have the sweet taste in my mouth, the less I want it..

I did cut on fruits a lot when I stopped completely my PPI a few months back because fruits do increase my reflux. I also miss fruits but right now there's nothing I could eat around me (can not stand pineapple that's what 's in season right now, love the taste but too much fiber .. and too acid for my stomach anyway....soon will be mango, I will try...) my fav is blueberries and I will have to wait for my next trip to get some. Same for chocolate, milk I could eat a lot of it, black only one square is enough. So I don't buy milk chocolate.

But may be you are also kind of bored watching those shows, may be folding the laundry, or doing something with your hands like to knit or embroider could do the trick too? I know that if I watch something, most of the time I'm reading at the same time (or folding the laundry or answering my emails) because if I don't I want to eat something too.... I only need to synchronize my watching/reading in the same language, because I did answer emails in the wrong language several times ha ha ha...

[Lisa73me]

Could not agree with you more! I can easily eat an entire pint of Halo Top at one sitting if I allow myself, and sometimes I have. Being mindful and aware of what and the amount we eat will always be part of our daily lives.

Thanks for letting me know about halo top! I have been eating Bryers carb smart, going to try halo top!

[GigiUSA]

I love the honesty and the reminder that you still have to watch what you eat and the "habits" ... bad habits that don't always die away so easy. I read your post over the weekend and it really resonated with me. It's hard for me too and after my surgery in a few weeks this will no doubt be one of my challenges as well. I keep thinking of all the time that I will have when I am not "eating" all the time LOL but I didn't get 70 pounds over weight by being diligent about my diet. I have taken advice from others here and tried to get to the root of my emotional eating and lack of control. I won't be able to have stuff in the house and will have to have alternatives too. GREAT JOB on the 100 lb loss!!! YOU ARE ROCKING IT!!!!!!!

[Pam G]

I've realized that I have two places where I instantly feel the desire to starting eating:

1. watching Netflix and
2. Driving in the car

Since I do both of those things on a daily basis, it's a constant struggle to not eat!

I'm slowly replacing the urge to eat at my desk at work with drinking coffee...gonna have to switch to decaf soon, though! LOL